Valerie Wright, Ron Holgate and Ronn Carroll have joined the cast of the Bernadette Peters-Tom Wopat, Broadway-bound revival of Annie Get Your Gun, as first reported in Theatrical Index and confirmed by press rep Pete Sanders (Oct. 6). Also taking supporting roles in the musical are Peter Marx and Gregory Zargoza. The specific roles assigned to each actor were not available at press time.
Holgate is a theatre veteran who won a Tony for his performance in the original production of 1776. More recent roles include Lend Me a Tenor and Milk and Honey. Ronn Carroll appeared as Mr. Biggley in the recent Broadway revival of How to Succeed.... He also acted in on Broadway in Crazy for You and the Tyne Daly Gypsy. Wright most recently appeared in the Goodspeed Opera House's production of the musical Redhead. Before that, she performed in Steel Pier on Broadway.
Gun starts firing on Broadway Feb. 2, 1999 and opens Feb. 20, 1999 at the Marquis Theatre, following Peter Pan's run there (Nov. 20 Jan. 3, 1999), according to the League of American Theatres & Producers. Tickets are now on sale for the show via Ticketmaster, (212) 307-4100.
Details are sketchy, but the show apparently plans to try out in Seattle, WA, starting Dec. 1, followed by a run in Washington DC, beginning Dec. 29. The show is set to go into rehearsal Nov. 2.
Shay Moore, publicist at MI's Barn Theatre (where Wopat recently appeared in South Pacific), told Playbill On-Line (Aug. 11), "[Wopat] got the news on Thursday [Aug. 6], and we were all cheering for him." Moore also told the Kalamazoo Gazette rehearsals begin in October for the show, which would mark Wopat's third time on Broadway (City of Angels, Guys and Dolls ), but "the very first time he's originated a role... This is something he's been looking forward to for some time now." Back in May 1997, Playbill On-Line reported that Irving Berlin's 1946 musical comedy, Annie Get Your Gun, would likely be coming back to Broadway in spring 1998, after a national tour. At the time, producers Fran and Barry Weissler were considering both film actress Geena Davis and stage actress Bernadette Peters for the title role. Early on, James Naughton had been rumored for the role of Frank, while Patti LuPone sparked rumors of taking the lead when she did a concert version of the show months ago.
The Irving Berlin and Herbert & Dorothy Fields musical will be directed and choreographed by Ragtime's Graciela Daniele. Designers listed include Tony Walton (sets), William Ivey Long (costumes) and Jules Fisher (lighting).
Annie Gets Your Gun tells of rootin'-tootin'-shootin' Annie Oakley, who nevertheless falls for Frank, the kind of man who wants the girl that he marries to be "as soft and as pink as a nursery" -- not quite a perfect match for a gal used to "doin' what comes natur'lly." The title role was originated on Broadway in 1946 by Ethel Merman.
The classic Irving Berlin score includes "The Girl That I Marry," "I Got Lost in His Arms," "Anything You Can Do," and the Broadway anthem, "No Business Like Show Business." It was Berlin's longest-running show.
Peters' career has included starring roles in Sunday in the Park with George, Mack and Mabel, The Goodbye Girl Dames at Sea, Song and Dance and Into The Woods, among others.
